Efforts to combat the rising prison population have included the introduction of new sentences, experimental initiatives, new approaches to dealing with defendants, parole, home detention curfews, and a full-scale reorientation of sentencing philosophy. Yet, despite such efforts, the prison population continues to grow. This has resulted in efforts being devoted to the subject of prison overcrowding and alternatives to custody. In this chapter, the author focuses on fines, conditional discharges, and police cautions or low-level approaches to sentencing. These three disposals have not been examined as having a serious contribution to make in the debate about alternatives to prison. The chapter examines the relevant research, and discusses the trends in the use of fines, conditional discharges, and cautions, as well as any evidence for their effectiveness in terms of reconviction rates. Lastly, the most recent policy developments will be examined, drawing together the argument for greater and more effective use of these low-level disposals. It is emphasized that these three disposals are important in helping to build a coherent, complementary package that can offer a credible, sustained alternative to prison sentences. Tables, notes, and references